Nation of Language

The icy, post-punk-inspired synth pop of Nation of Language is the creation of Ian Devaney, who was influenced by the early work of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Taking the project in its own refined, melancholy direction, he and his bandmates presented Nation of Language's full-length debut, Introduction, Presence, in 2020. The project veered toward earlier Krautrock and experimental electronic influences on subsequent albums, including the next year's A Way Forward and 2023's Strange Disciple, the latter of which allowed for more live instruments in arrangements. Strange Disciple was met with acclaim and landed the group on Sub Pop for their fourth album, 2025's Dance Called Memory.